Many different types of devices having storage, such as flash drives, digital cameras, digital media players, etc. are portable allowing the device to be connected to one or more host systems, such as personal computers. The portability of these devices provides increased convenience and flexibility for a device user. However, the increasing popularity of portable devices having storage and the decreasing size of many such devices increase a risk that such a device may be lost or misplaced. An owner of a lost device may have significant incentives to seek return of the device. A lost transient storage device may be of significant monetary value, such as a digital camera, a digital media player, a medical testing device (like a glucose meter), etc. Alternatively, a lost device may be of little monetary value, but the information stored in the device may have great monetary value or great sentimental value.
A lost device that does not support communication with a communication network, such as a flash drive, cannot initiate communication with its owner through a communication network or receive communication from its owner through a communication network, except through a connection with a host system. Additionally, a person who finds a lost device, such as a flash drive, and would like to return it may have no way of knowing the identity of the device owner or how to contact the device owner. The owner of the device may have no way of finding out if the device has been found and if anyone has attempted to read information off of the device.